Hey all you outdoor gear fans!

The rumors are true: Wilderness Voyageurs has opened a new outfitter store at the take out of the Upper Yough in Friendsville, MD, in the old Mountain Surf building. The building reopened on Friday, June 20th and will keep business hours from 10 to 6 on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays. We are really excited about the great reception we've gotten from paddlers and Friendsville residents: Thanks for the support!!

Here is a map showing the location of the building (click to open full size in a new window):

And now for answers to some frequently asked questions:
1. YES, kayakers, you can still take out at the bridge! Stop in and see us if you like. We'll have boating videos running and tons of cool stuff to check out.

2. YES, we are offering demos on the Upper Yough. Call 800 272 4141 to talk to our Ohiopyle store so we can make sure we have the boat in Friendsville for you.

3. YES, you are welcome to use our public restrooms.

4. YES, we have grand plans for the building. We're going to open the deck back up as a place to hang out. With any luck, there will be live music during releases! We are also considering a massage parlor for the upstairs.

5. YES, we are investigating the possibility of renting canoes from Friendsville to some point downstream.

6. YES, we are eventually going to offer our standard HUGE selection of outdoor gear, including paddling, clothing, camping, fly fishing and more.

Did I miss a question you had, or did you have a suggestion for us? Leave us a comment because we'd love to hear from you.

See you in Friendsville!
Lou

    Ohiopyle State Park offers an extensive trail system that allows anyone to enjoy many different ecosystems and natural features no matter your skill level.  Over 79 total miles of hiking trails makes it really difficult to grow tired of any one trail.  This also means there are enough trails that vary in gradient and difficulty, you are sure to find one that fits your needs for that day.  Here are a couple of my favorite:


Great Gorge trail to Beech Trail:
    This loop can be accessed via the Bike path from the town of Ohiopyle.  The bike path serves as a great connector for many of the trails in the park that are deeper and more tiresome to access via foot. 
     I warm up by running along the bike bath from Wilderness Voyageurs' Outfitter Store to the trailhead after the high bridge above Railroad rapid on the Lower Yough.  However, this is tricky.  Just after you cross the bridge there is a sign on the left to enter Great Gorge Trail.  This will take you in the OPPOSITE direction.  Instead, continue along the bike path another 30 yards and take the next trail off to the left.  This is just an unmarked way to enter the Great Gorge Trail.  If you see signs to the campground you have gone too far.  This trail begins by winding through the woods, growing steeper.  The last bit of trail is the steepest of the entire run so just think about getting it over with early.  The trail hits Kentuck Trail where you will turn Right.  This trail leads up to the campground access road which you will cross and reenter the trail off the road onto the right.  This will take you past the Ampitheater.  After passing this you will follow signs for Beech Trail, taking a Left when the trail hits a Y.  Another 40 yards follow Beech trail to the Right. 
    From here, enjoy a long stretch of winding through the woods with minimal change in gradient.  Soon the trail will begin to slowly go downhill, meeting up with a creek near a large rock face on the left hand side.  The trail eventually bends to the right (no need to turn off trail) where it somewhat follows the bike path with a few hills thrown in for good measure.  The trail eventually leads to the Campground access trail (gravel) where you will go left to hit the bike path again, or right to head to the campground.
    This is one of my favorites because it starts off with a bang and turns into a mellower run for the 2nd half.  It usually takes me about an hour to run.

Another great loop is the Great Gorge to Meadow Run Trail Loop:

    This loop can also be accessed via the bike path, turning Left just after the High Bridge over Railroad rapid (the trail is marked Great Gorge here).  This part of Great gorge is a much wider, flat trail that follows the Lower Youghiogheny's loop section.  The trail eventually leads to the beautiful Cucumber Falls where you can cool off by walking behind or even under the falls.
    You can stop here as Rt 381 passes just over the trail, or continue the trail under 381 where it leads to the Natural Water Slides.  The trail turns into Meadow Run Trail here as it follows the creek known as Meadow.  During high water, this creek is frequented by local kayakers.  Fishermen also enjoy these waters all year long.  The trail remains relatively flat with the occasional hill and winds through much denser wooded areas.  Often times the trail is only wide enough for me with thick rhododendron on either side. 
    Be sure to follow sings up the Cascades.  This is a slide/waterfall that drops around 20 feet overall.  Another great place to stop and take a dip in the river. 
    Here you can either turn around or continue along the trail as it bends to the right and loops back upon itself.  Sometimes I find myself ending up in the top Meadow Run parking lot, but no worries...there is a trail that leads back down to the creek.

For a full trail map of Ohiopyle State Park click here

The Laurel Highlands and Ohiopyle State Park are excellent locations for hiking and exploring Pennsylvania's natural beauty.  Amazing rock formations with the occasional cave, forest floors covered with brilliantly green ferns or hidden waterfalls are all common on any of the hikes. 

Ever need a trail recommendation?  Stop by Wilderness Voyageurs' Outfitter store and we'll be happy to point you toward a trail that will fit your needs for that day!

See you out there!

-Zan

A great day for some Pennsylvania Trout Fishing!

After a morning of grass cutting, I headed into Ohiopyle to get some info and check the local scene at Wilderness Voyageurs. I have been doing some fly fishing trips for them and I thought I would stop in to get a cup of coffee (best coffee in Ohiopyle) and say hello before hitting the stream.

It was warm day but cloud covered with a light shower here and there. I had a good feeling about the fishing and bug activity. When I pulled into the parking lot at Meadow Run, I knew right away that I had most of the stream to myself. There was one guy, an older fella and fly fisherman from Pittsburgh fishing the riffles and pocket water near the bridge. We had a few laughs and I moved on down to a favorite spot that Dale had clued me into.

Upon arrival it didn't take long to realize that bugs were coming off in bunches with a lot of variety. I saw some BWO's, March Browns, Midges (of course) and some Hendrickson's coming off. Despite all the bugs, there were very few rises at the time. I knew then to tie on an emeger, which is just what I did. I had a cream colored pattern that I tied myself to represent a cream caddis larvae for the most part--although it can suggest a lot. I was anxious to see if it worked. It doesn't really match anything specific per-say, but to me it has that 'look'. It paid off. I do believe the fish were taking it as a Hendrickson Emerger--with the light color and wing. Needless to say by the end of the trip, it was pretty beat up. Guess I need to tie a few more. Ok, now the action.

First cast I landed a nice looking rainbow, in the 12-14" range. After a safe release, two maybe three casts later, I hooked into the biggest fish of the day. A beautifully colored Brown Trout which was in the 17-20" range and fat. It was a great catch and a solid fight. She took me on a 10 minute walk before I finally managed to get her in my net. What a beautiful fish! Meadow Run is by far one of my favorite streams in SW Pennsylvania. After a safe release, the action continued steady for the next 45 minutes, landing a few browns and a couple more rainbows. By the time an hour had passed I had landed 10+ trout and had a smile from ear to ear. If I didn't have to get back home I would've stayed until dark, but even just an hour on the stream was enough action to leave me feeling very much exuberated, making the drive home even better.

Thank goodness I had my camera phone! Here are just a few pics. Not the best quality but for a camera phone, not bad.

First cast:


A nice Meadow Run Brown!



A few more random pics:






I hope to see you on the river for some great Pennsylvania Fishing! Stop by Wilderness Voyageurs for the best in town!

~ David

I think what I like the most about Yough River Rafting is the clear clean water and the quality and frequency of the rapids.   We also were able to do some fishing and some great Mountain Biking.

Thanks Wilderness Voyageurs!

Highwater in Ohiopyle! Not too high, but enough to get everyone jumping to paddle. The river was around 7 feet today and with the rain in the forecast, it'll probably stay up for a bit. Pennsylvania fishing will be tough for the local fly fishers! The Yough and all its tributaries are high right now. When it does come down, don't forget to check the fly fishing page for current hatches at tips!

AVOID CABIN FEVER & COME FISH THE YOUGH! Pennsylvania Fishing at it's finest! Here's the latest updats:
Water conditions: It's winter! You could skate on most of the streams in this area, or stay home and keep warm. Those who want to fish thankfully have the Youghiogheny. The Yough is fishing well and is at ideal levels currently. Noon air temperature today was 22, water temperature ranged from 34-38 degrees. We caught a number of nice rainbows fishing from Confluence down to Ramcat.

Tip of the week...and the next month.
Pattern selection for winter fishing on the Yough is quite simple. You will need a scalpin pattern in brown, black or olive sz 8-10, an egg pattern in pink or white and some midge larva patterns sz 20-22. These flies have worked very well for the last 2 months.

On warmer days be on the lookout for midge hatches. We have had some good dry fly action earlier this month.

Since water conditions change quickly at this time of the year, call the shop for up to the last minute conditions 724-329-5517.